Mudcats Advance to Quarterfinals, Cubs Fall Short

Last night, two more Cornbelt teams had the chance to move on to the quarterfinals in the Class B Amateur Baseball State Tournament, with the Dell Rapids Mudcats advancing. 

The Salem Cubs played the Dimock/Emery Raptors with a trip to the quarterfinals on the line, and both teams kept it close heading into the bottom of the sixth after the Cubs tied it up at 2-2. In the bottom of the sixth though, the Raptors scored five runs in the inning, seemingly breaking away from the Cubs. 

The Cubs were not ready to quit though, with Kyle Tuschen hitting a bases-clearing double, bringing them within one of the Raptors with a 7-6 score after seven-innings. However, the Raptors put a halt to the Cubs comeback attempt as they were unable to add anything else to the scoreboard for the rest of the game. The Raptors grabbed one more run in the eighth, and knocked the Cubs out of the tournament, ending their season with a final score of 8-6. 

In the second game of the evening, the Dell Rapids Mudcats took on the Larchwood Diamonds, who were able to make a late game push against the defending state champs. 

The Mudcats had gotten out to as much as a 8-1 lead after six-innings, thanks in large part to a three-run home run from Mark Abrahamson in the bottom of the second. The Diamonds started their comeback attempt in the top of the seventh, bringing themselves within three. After getting another run in the eighth, the Diamonds set themselves up to complete the comeback in the ninth. 

In the ninth, Larchwood had two runners in scoring position, but the Mudcats held on, keeping the score at 8-6 and getting the win over the Diamonds. The Mudcats will move on and play the Dimock/Emery Raptors on Friday.